The College of New Caledonia’s (CNC) Board of Governors passed a balanced budget for the 2018/2019 academic year during its regular meeting hosted at its Prince George campus on April 20.
This budget marks the third year of financial growth at CNC with an increase of more than $5 million. From that growth, CNC has made significant investments into areas of both direct and indirect student success and support.
The 2018/2019 budget also adds 35.98 full-time equivalent hours (FTE) of employment, of which 20.66 are faculty, 9.89 are operational and 5.43 are administrative.
“We are proud to present a balanced budget that invests growth into the success of our students,” said Tara Szerencsi, Vice President, Finance & Corporate Services.
CNC’s 2018/2019 budget is investing in a Career and Co-op Student Support project developing strong connections with community partners to ensure CNC courses and programs align with industry requirements.
The proposal, which was submitted by a CNC faculty member during the public budget consultation session on Jan. 31, 2018, also explores options for identifying and assisting students with graduate employment opportunities.
“Student success is our highest priority at the College of New Caledonia,” said CNC President Henry Reiser. “Although 83 per cent of our graduates are successful in finding employment, this project will become a major support for students by connecting them with enriching work placement opportunities.”
CNC is furthering its commitment to student success by expanding student advising at the College through the addition of two new full-time student advisor positions.
“This investment will greatly increase the capacity CNC has to help students with important decisions concerning their educational paths,” said Chad Thompson, Acting Vice President of Academics.
CNC’s 2018/2019 budget is also helping to further Indigenize education at CNC as well as invest in supports for Aboriginal learners.
The College is investing in a new Aboriginal Student Recruiter position that will build relationships with Aboriginal communities and prospective students as they transition to post-secondary. The recruiter will keep students and communities informed of education opportunities at CNC and work to address Aboriginal education in the spirit of reconciliation.
Additionally, two part-time Access instructor positions at CNC, which remove barriers to service by offering more drop-in tutoring opportunities for Aboriginal students, have been added to the College’s base funding.
“Aboriginal education is a strategic pillar for promoting student success at CNC,” said Marlene Erickson, CNC Director of Aboriginal Education. “All CNC campuses have a significant percentage of Aboriginal students, so the investment made in the 2018/2019 budget is a particularly beneficial one.”
With the success International Education has recently experienced, CNC’s 2018/2019 budget is also investing in the success and support of its growing international student population.
CNC’s new International Education marketing coordinator position will focus on engaging a wide variety of international stakeholders and allow the College to be more flexible in terms of its International recruitment and development of marketing material.
The College has continued to fund two term Admission Assistant positions added mid 2017/2018. This addition has allowed Admissions to process International applications in a timelier manner.
“This addition allows the CNC’s Admission team to focus on other areas that will improve the overall educational experience for international students,” Thompson said. “These include researching international admissions best practices, and online international registration, and investigating online applications.”
Investment in innovation is an area of focus in CNC’s 2018/2019 budget that also furthers direct and indirect student success and support.
CNC’s Digital Delivery Instruction (DDI) technology is allowing the College to run a far greater diversity of courses across three semester and dramatically increase educational opportunities in the five community campuses outside Prince George.
The College has also created a new Director of Teaching and Learning position who will diversify and expand the methods technology can implemented into the classroom. CNC’s website will also undergo a complete redesign making it easier for employees, students and the community to access information about the College.
“CNC is a true community college responsive to the needs of our students and communities,” said Reiser. “This budget is reflective of the commitment CNC has to the success of its students.”
For a summary of additional new investments as a result of the 2018/2019 budget visit http://www.cnc.bc.ca/Exploring/Services/Administration/Budget.htm
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For more information:
Dustin Ruth
Media Relations, Communications
College of New Caledonia
ruthd1@cnc.bc.ca | 778-349-0597